Wednesday, September 26, 2007

After watching this team now for a little over a week thanks to the new Islanders TV, I can say that the Islanders are bonding and developing chemistry very quickly, which was needed for them to suceed. They showed toughness, and resilancy against the Rangers, and they also sent a message that they will not be pushed around this season. As far as the youth development, much praise has been given to Tambellini, Comeau, and Colliton, along with defenseman Aaron Johnson. There is enough depth once again on this team going all the way to the minors, in case there are injuries. Berard has shown he is a positive factor on the power play, and should make the team. The Islanders play the Devils tonight, which should be an excellent game since there is a mutual respect for one another. Expect to hear more good things coming from the first line once again (Tank,Comrie, and Guerin), and the emergances of Sim and Vasicek. Make no mistake about it, The Islanders are not going to be at the bottom of this conference, and will once again prove to many others, and earn the respect they deserve.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

I think it's safe to say that the first line will be Fedotenko, Comrie, and Guerin. That line will be depended on for this seasons success. From what i've been reading, Tamby is looking good at this camp, and is fighting for the second line against Jon Sim. Too early for now, but I think Tamby would look good with Vasicek and Satan. The one line that should remain intact is the Hilbert-Sillinger-Hunter line. That was the most consistent line the Islanders had last year, and I think you'll see a better year from both Hunter and Hilbert. The fourth line will be changing the most, and probably wont be "solid" until mid October or early November. Camp, injuries, and suspensions will determine who plays on that fourth line. As for the defense, you can pencil in the obvious ones. Witt, Bergeron, Martinek, Sutton, Campoli. Gervais is a Nolan player, so he should make the team, while Berard, if healthy, can replace the numbers lost by Tom Poti. This is a big year for the defence. They have the potential of a lot of power play goals, and if they stick to the new defensive system, this could be the making of something big on Long Island. I won't put my predictions in yet until the night before the first opening game against Buffalo. Until then, time to watch and enjoy.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Well now, this should be an interesting camp. I think, when healthy, Berard is still a top 4 forward, and could replace Poti's numbers from last year. However, he's been having Martinek like numbers when it comes to playing full seasons. Is Berard good enough to make the team?Yes, he is. That would leave Freddy Meyer the lone defenseman out of the loop here. But the nice idea about having Berard on the team, assuming he makes it, is that like the forwards, Nolan will play anyone on defense who is playing the way they should, and if Berard needs a break, can be replaced by Campoli and Gevais and then Berard can be used over a longer stretch in less minutes per game. Having someone like Berard on the team would certainly help their powerplay, along with Bergeron, and his booming shot. Now we'll have to see and wait what happens during camp. Stay tuned.